Iyow - in your own words

Marc Lynch, blogger and author of Voices of the New Arab Public, points out something intriguing and disturbing: The open competition of the Internet is forcing mainstream media outlets to let go of any idea of content standards in favor of ratings.

In this post, Lynch argues that the common-denominator mentality must dominate because provocative, even exploitive, stories will receive mass Internet play, and as a result ratings-boosting stories such as the Jill Carroll video will flood all media outlets regardless of standards. Might as well get your share of the ratings and ad dollars.

Conversely, the lack of control over any media content even affects the types of videos that anti-Western jihadists put out to influence Arab moderates. Some are even claiming that beheading videos have been on the wane because jihadists don’t want them inadvertently picked up by large media outlets and alienating moderates unintentionally.